Attitude (heraldry)

The lion passant guardant, a frequent figure in heraldry, has often been called a leopard by French and English heralds.

In heraldry, an attitude is the position in which an animal, fictional beast, mythical creature, human or human-like being is emblazoned as a charge, supporter or crest. Many attitudes apply only to predatory beasts and are exemplified by the beast most frequently found in heraldry—the lion. Some other terms apply only to docile animals, such as the doe. Other attitudes describe the positions of birds, mostly exemplified by the bird most frequently found in heraldry—the eagle. The term naiant (swimming), however, is usually reserved for fish but may also apply to swans, ducks or geese. Birds are often further described by the exact position of their wings. The term segreant is apparently reserved for mythical creatures, as this term is the approximation of rampant as it applies to winged quadrupeds such as griffins and dragons.

Additionally, there are positions applying to direction, to indicate variations from the presumed position of any charge. Animals and animal-like creatures are presumed to be shown in profile, facing dexter (the viewer's left), and humans and human-like beings are presumed to be shown affronté (facing the viewer), unless otherwise specified in the blazon.

While any number of terms may be found in Anglophonic sources for attitudes of creatures (real and imaginary), several glossaries and web sites exist to serve as nearly exhaustive lists of these. The following are a small selection of some of the most notable among these.

Animals and animal-like creatures are presumed to be shown in profile, facing toward dexter, unless otherwise stated in the blazon. Humans and human-like beings are presumed to be shown affronté. Note that the heraldic terms dexter ('right') and sinister ('left') are defined with respect to the bearer of a shield, standing behind it, rather than to the viewer.

To dexter or the viewer's left is the direction animals are presumed to face, so it is never specified, but may (rarely) be indicated of a human or human-like being.

To sinister or contourné is said of an animal or being that is turned to face the viewer's right.

Affronté is said of an animal or being that is turned to face toward the viewer.

En Arrière is said of an animal that is turned so it has its back to the viewer. With birds and insects, its most common use, it is an overhead view with the wings spread and its back to the viewer.

Guardant or In Full Aspect indicates an animal with its head turned to face the viewer.

Regardant indicates an animal with its head turned backward towards the sinister, as if looking over its shoulder.

In Trian Aspect (a rare, later 16th and 17th century heraldry term) is when the animal's head is facing at a 3/4 view to give the appearance of depth - with the head cocked at an angle somewhere between to-the-side and straight-on.

Many attitudes commonly met with in heraldic rolls apply specifically to predatory beasts, while others may be better suited to the docile animals. These will each be discussed in detail below. Also worth note is that a lion or other beast may additionally be described in terms of the position of its head, differently coloured parts (such as teeth, claws, tongue, etc.), or by the shape or position of its tail. A beast may be "armed" (horns, teeth and claws) or "langued" (tongue) of a tincture, while a stag may be "attired" (antlers) or "unguled" (hooves) of a tincture. A lion (or other beast) coward carries the tail between its hind legs.[1] The tail also may be forked (queue fourchée) or doubled (double-queued).

A beast rampant (Old French: "rearing up") is depicted in profile standing erect with forepaws raised.[2] The position of the hind legs varies according to local custom: the lion may stand on both hind legs, braced wide apart, or on only one, with the other also raised to strike; the word rampant is sometimes omitted, especially in early blazon, as this is the most usual position of a carnivorous quadruped. Note: the term segreant denotes the same position, but is only used in reference to griffins and dragons.[3] Rampant is the most frequent attitude of quadrupeds, and as supporters they are rarely seen in any other attitude.

A beast passant (Old French: "striding") walks toward dexter (the viewer's left), with the right forepaw raised and all others on the ground.[4] While early heralds held that any lion in a walking position must necessarily be a "leopard", and this distinction persists in French heraldry, this use of the term leopard has long since been abandoned by English heralds.[5] A "Lion of England" denotes a lion passant guardant Or, used as an augmentation.[4] For stags and other deerlike beasts of chase, the term trippant is used instead of passant.

A beast salient (Latin: saliēns, "leaping") (also springing) is leaping, with both hind legs together on the ground and both forelegs together in the air.[8] This is a very rare position for a lion,[8] but is also used of other heraldic beasts. The stag and other docile animals in this position are often termed springing. Certain smaller animals are sometimes blazoned as saltant rather than salient.

A beast statant (Old French: "standing") is "standing" (in profile toward dexter), all four feet on the ground, usually with the forepaws together.[9] This posture is more frequent in crests than in charges on shields.[8] In certain animals, such as bears, this may refer to an upright, bipedal position (though this position may also be referred to as statant erect), though bears blazoned as 'statant' can also be found with all four feet firmly on the ground (e.g. in the arms of the former borough council of Berwick-upon-Tweed). While statant is used in reference to predatory beasts, the more docile animals when in this position may be called at bay, while such creatures statant guardant are said to be at gaze. This is particularly true of stags (harts).[10]

Some attitudes describe the positioning of birds. The eagle is so often found displayed in early heraldry that this position came to be presumed of the eagle unless some other attitude is specified in the blazon.

The terms Expanded and Elevated or Abaisé and Inverted are similar terms often used interchangeably in heraldry but have specific meanings. There is also sometimes confusion between a Rising bird with Displayed wings and a Displayed bird. The difference is that Rising birds face either to the dexter or in trian aspect and have their feet on the ground. Displayed birds face the viewer, have their legs splayed out, and the tail is completely visible.

Several terms refer to the particular position of the wings, rather than the attitude of the bird itself. A bird in nearly any attitude, except overt, may have its wings displayed or addorsed.

wings Displayed means the bird's right wing is extended forward and its left wing extended rearward, turned so that the undersides of both wings are fully shown.

displayed and Expanded or Espanie / Épandre ("expanded") are spread with the wing tips pointing upward.

displayed and Lowered or Abaisé ("lowered") are spread with the wing tips pointing downward.

wings Addorsed means the wings are raised and spread behind it back-to-back as if about to take flight, so that only the top of the bird's right wing shows behind the fully displayed left wing.

addorsed and elevated are raised with the wing tips pointing upward.

addorsed and inverted are raised with the wing tips pointing downward.

A bird displayed is shown affronté with its head turned to dexter and wings spread to the sides to fill the area of the field. This position is presumed of the eagle, and the symbolic use of eagles in this position was well established even before the development of heraldry, going back to Charlemagne.[11]

A bird Overt ("closed") or close, the bird's equivalent of Statant, is shown in profile and at rest with its feet flat on the ground and its wings folded at its sides. Trussed is the term used for domestic or game birds, implying the bird is tied up or caught in a net respectively, and is not applied to predator birds like the Eagle and Hawk. Perched is Overt while sitting atop a Charge.

A bird rising or rousant, the bird's equivalent of Salient, faces dexter with its head upturned, wings raised, and standing on the tips of its feet as if about to take flight. A bird rising may have its wings described as either displayed or addorsed, and the wings may be further described as elevated or inverted.

A bird volant faces the dexter with its wings spread in flight (usually shown addorsed and elevated) and its legs tucked under its body. Volant En Arrière is when the bird is shown from a top-down perspective with the head facing straight ahead, its back to the viewer, and the wings spread in flight (usually shown displayed and inverted). A bird volant is considered in bend ("diagonal") as it is flying from the lower sinister to the upper dexter of the field. However, the term "in bend" is not to be used unless a Bend is actually on the field and it will be depicted on it.

A stork, crane or the like standing on one leg may be called vigilant or in its vigilance (e.g. Waverley Borough Council's 'Crane in its vigilance'). A stone is usually shown held in the claw of the raised leg. This is as per the Bestiary myth that Cranes stayed awake by doing so. If it dozed, the Crane would supposedly drop the rock, waking itself up.

One peculiar attitude reserved only to the Pelican, is the pelican in her piety. The Heraldic Pelican, one of the few "female" beasts in heraldry, is shown with a sharp Stork-like beak, which it uses to vuln ("pierce or wound") her own breast. This is per the Bestiary myth that a female pelican wounded herself thus to feed her chicks. This symbol of sacrifice carries a particular religious meaning, and became so popular in heraldry that pelicans rarely exist in heraldry in any other position.[12] A distinction is sometimes observed, however, between a pelican "vulning herself" (alone, piercing her breast) and "in her piety" (surrounded by and feeding her chicks).[13] The Pelican is shown exclusively in profile perched in her nest with her wings either Addorsed and Inverted (because it is not going to fly away) or Overt.

Few attitudes are reserved to the rarer classes of creatures, but these include segreant, a term which can only apply to winged quadrupeds; naiant and hauriant, terms applying principally to fish; glissant and nowed, terms applying to serpents. Serpents also sometimes appear in a circular form, biting their own tail, but this symbol, called an Ouroboros, was imported ready-made into heraldry, and so it needs no term of attitude to describe it.

Creatures combatant are shown in profile facing each other in the rampant or segreant position, always paired and never appearing singly. Nearly any creature can be rendered combatant, although this term is usually applied to predatory beasts and mythical creatures; herbivorous animals in such a position are typically blazoned as respectant.

Creatures or objects addorsed or endorsed are shown facing away from each other. As with combatant, charges addorsed can only appear in pairs. One also frequently finds keys addorsed (placed in parallel, wards facing outward).

An animal or creature naiant is swimming. This term is typically applied to fish (when shown in a horizontal position), but may also apply to other sea creatures and, occasionally, water fowl (i.e. swans, ducks or geese). A dolphin blazoned as naiant is always shown as embowed, unlike any other sea creature or monster, even though the blazon may not specify this.

Royal Heraldry Society of Canada, Members' Roll of Arms, with illustrations of bearings, only accessible by armiger's name (though a Google site search would provide full searchability), http://www.heraldry.ca/main.php?pg=l1

Moncreiffe of Easter Moncreiffe, Iain, Kintyre Pursuivant of Arms, and Pottinger, Don, Herald Painter Extraordinary to the Court of the Lord Lyon King of Arms Simple Heraldry, Thomas Nelson and Sons, London and Edinburgh, 1953; splendidly illustrated

Friar, Stephen (ed.). A New Dictionary of Heraldry. Alphabooks, Sherborne, 1987; with very few illustration of attitudes.